Second Test, Durban, day one (close): Australia 228-5 v South Africa  Ponting enjoyed some fortune but played some superb strokes |
Australia captain Ricky Ponting equalled Sir Donald Bradman's record of 29 Test centuries on the opening day of the second Test against South Africa. He survived a close lbw appeal on 98 before reaching three figures with a four, and was then dismissed next ball.
Ponting, dropped on five, put on 97 with Justin Langer after Matthew Hayden was caught at slip in the second over.
Damien Martyn made a stylish fifty but he and Brett Lee fell in the space of two overs as the tourists closed 228-5.
Ponting's impressive achievement came in his 102nd Test, exactly 50 more matches than Bradman.
The current Australia captain averages over 50 in Tests but that is also eclipsed by his legendary predecessor's infamous 99.94, kept below 100 by his dismissal for a duck in his final Test innings.
Ponting needs two more centuries to match Brian Lara, with India maestro Sachin Tendulkar top of the list with 35.
At the close Ponting played down his feat in comparison to Bradman and said: "I think people will look at the amount of games played to make those centuries and how I'm almost double him."
 | MOST TEST CENTURIES SR Tendulkar (Ind) 35 (132 Tests) SM Gavaskar (Ind) 34 (125 Tests) SR Waugh (Aus) 32 (168 Tests) BC Lara (WI) 31 (123 Tests) DG Bradman (Aus) 29 (52 Tests) RT Ponting (Aus) 29 (102 Tests) |
The skipper was more concerned by his team's position and said: "It was a disappointing end to the day to lose three wickets after working so hard to set a foundation.
"The conditions were reasonable. It was a bit two-paced and the ball was reverse-swinging but you have to give credit to South Africa, they were very disciplined."
Seeking an unassailable 2-0 series lead, the Aussies chose to bat on a pitch giving some early help for the bowlers.
South Africa were boosted by the return of Shaun Pollock but it was Makhaya Ntini who struck in the second over.
He removed Matthew Hayden but Langer, after a scratchy start, and Ponting settled in.
Experienced all-rounder Pollock was passed fit after a muscle strain and replaced Andrew Hall.
Australia's Stuart Clark took 9-89 on debut in the opening Test victory and he retained his place in an unchanged line-up.
Hayden tried to dominate the bowlers in his customary manner but failed to combat Ntini's exaggerated line across left-handers and snicked to third slip, where AB De Villiers took a sharp chance.
Having witnessed the demise of his partner, Langer seemed certain to join him as he played and missed repeatedly in the early overs, both to the fiery Ntini and the metronomic Pollock.
The first wicket fell without a run on the board and there were only 13 scored when Ponting was reprieved as wicketkeeper Mark Boucher could not hold on to the chance diving to his left.
After the hesitant start, the scoring rate increased and the fifty partnership came in 53 minutes.
 Kallis and Smith leave it to each other as Ponting escapes |
Towards the end of the session, however, the ball began to gain the upper hand again and Jacques Kallis restricted the batsmen to just three runs from his six overs before lunch.
Early in the afternoon Langer fished once too often and it was a routine delivery from Kallis, simply angling across the batsman, that caught the edge and Boucher atoned with a neat catch.
Ponting enjoyed more fortune when he was beaten by a sharp delivery from the ever-combative Andre Nel, the ball caught the shoulder of the bat and flew between first and second slip.
Martyn appeared to be in no difficulty as he drove his fourth ball in typically languid fashion straight down the ground for four, but he then ducked into an Ntini bouncer that thudded into his bicep.
Ponting reached his fifty in style with a powerful back-foot force, but Ntini unsettled him again with a short one that the skipper attempted to pull, missed, and received in the breadbasket.
For much of the day the batsmen were content to progress at a very un-Australian two runs per over in an attempt to secure a solid foundation.
The volatile Nel was well aware of this and suggested as such to Ponting in mid-pitch.
Having matched the illustrious Bradman, Ponting tried to smash the next ball from spinner Nicky Boje to the boundary but got a bottom edge to mid-off.
Martyn had played some delightfully fluent strokes in his 23rd Test fifty, his first half-century in 10 innings, but was undone in familiar fashion wafting outside the off-stump and caught at second slip.
With the intent of conserving some leading batsmen for the second day, Australia sent in Brett Lee as night-watchman but he lasted only seven balls before he was adjudged, perhaps unfairly, to have edged Ntini.
The hostile South African paceman then caught Andrew Symonds with a sickening bouncer that angled in and crashed into his visor, the grill forced inwards and cutting the big all-rounder's mouth.
Symonds bravely continued and was undefeated with Mike Hussey when the umpires offered them the light.
Ponting confirmed that Symonds had stitches to the inside of his mouth and would have his teeth checked but would be fit to resume his innings.
MMIX
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It was careless of Ponting to get out straight after his century
